The Current State of Matcha on IppodoTea.com

Matcha’s popularity has grown steadily over the years, but in 2024, demand surged beyond all expectations. (If you’re one of the ones new to Ippodo, welcome! We’re so glad to have you here.)

In response, we made the difficult decision to temporarily pause production of some blends—Kanza, Kuon, Seiun/Shoin, and Hatsu—to focus on producing our core matcha blends as consistently as possible.

There are two key reasons why we couldn’t simply increase production:

• Matcha is harvested only once a year. The teas used in Ippodo’s blends are picked during late spring. Farmers cannot harvest more tea on demand, so the quantity available each year is determined well in advance.
• High-quality matcha production is slow and precise. Traditional stone mills grind only about 40g of matcha per hour, and the specialized machines used in matcha production are limited in number. This makes it impossible to speed up the process without compromising quality.

Given these constraints, we had to prioritize our core blends to ensure consistency and availability. We sincerely apologize to fans of the paused blends and to those hoping to try them for the first time. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a timeline for their return, but we will update you as soon as they are available again.

If you have any other questions, please contact us through the chat window or email through the contact page: https://ippodotea.com/pages/contact.

Thank you for your continued support and enjoyment of Ippodo Tea.